Reverie
by Hasegawa-Michiyo
Summary: A fembot is faced with the loss of her comrade, friend, and mentor. She reflects on past events in an attempt to heal and find the strength to carry on as a medic.
1. Chapter 1

It's strange how inspiration can just happen upon you.

I don't own Transformers or its character so on and so forth, but I do own my own character.

* * *

><p>Reverie by Michiyo<p>

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Autobots

A Femme sits alone in silence next to a medical berth, longing to go back to a simpler time before any conflict transpired. She had been sitting there for several hours – unaware of the cycles gone by. The fembot was in a place where time and space were at a standstill. Her optics, transfixed on the broken frame in front of her.

Unmoving.

Silent.

She watched the chassis, almost waiting for the corpse to animate again. Hoping this was all just a cruel joke and everyone would come out of hiding to laugh at her gullibility. But, this was no joke, yet it hardly seemed to be real. All she could do was hope she would awaken from recharge.

Her optics flickered to the many electronic devices that flanked the berth. Luminescent screens and blinking apparatus are the only source of light in the empty chamber. The medical equipment hard at work, filled the room with a peaceful ambiance.

But she was anything but peaceful. The femme continued to monitor the Autobot in front of her. Fragments of a former comrade, that's what she had. The butchered, melted and broken remains of a medical genius and she had to put the pieces back together – but where does one begin to pick up all the pieces?

He had taught her so much, yet it hardly seemed to be enough.

_"No matter how much knowledge and experience you gain, it will never seem to be adequate."_

"I'm scared I will forget you,"

"I never want to forget."

…

His smile was warm, but his optics spoke of loss and the effects of war – yet, they were neither cold nor unreceptive. The fembot studied her new instructor with curiosity and apprehension. Steller cycles, vorns of knowledge and understanding. His wisdom shines off him like a pulsar.

The florescent lights reflect off the medics renewed armour distorting the hues of green and grey – a contrast to the rough Cybertronian metal underneath. His arms are crossed in front of his broad chassis as he scrutinized the white and lavender femme before him.

She seemed weary and nervous.

His two blue optics met her own violet hues, as they shone down at her from atop their broad frame.

"Welcome to the Autobots," He beamed.

His voice was bold, strong, proud. It was everything she needed to hear to set her nerves at easy.

"You already know who I am from our last meeting," The mech fiddled with his rifle.

"Where did you learn to neutralize firearms? I'm still trying to get mine working properly again." The femme shifted awkwardly.

"Mostly from taking things apart and putting them back together again…sorry." She looks at her feet in embarrassment.

"Never mind that, I suspect you've finished your basic training with Ironhide and Sideswipe?"

"Well, not exactly."

"Oh?"

"The evening was cut short…" The femme reflected on the previous night.

…

"You shot me in the foot! I can't believe you! What did I just say about the importance of the safety switch?!"

"Oh slag!" She watched in horror as Sideswipe rolled around on the floor in pain.

"I'm so sorry! Should I get Ratchet, I'll get Ratchet." The femme panicked to locate the Autobot medic as Ironhide chuckled at his comrade grimacing on the floor of the base.

"No need, get off the floor you sparkling." The gruff mech kicked the bot on the aft.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." She struggled to withhold a few giggles.

…

The femme in reprieve glanced over at Sideswipe still sour from the evening before. Her shoulders hunched under his vexed gaze. All chances of a good impression gone out the window. She wanted to earn her place among the Autobots and maybe become a valued member of the team, instead she was well on her way in becoming the base buffoon.

The medic groaned.

"No matter, come with me," he beckoned for her to follow.

"I'll show you where we'll be working."

She proceeded behind the large bot down a narrow hall, just off the main base.

To the small creatures inhabiting the earth it would look like a huge corridor. Miniature walkways with pale metal railings line the ramparts. Viewing rooms filled with communication devices lookout into the Autobot headquarters. The femme studied the small fixtures in silent amusement as she tried to keep pace with her instructor.

"How do they get any privacy?" The femme whispered.

She felt like she was in a prison, held up for some unknown crime against humanity. Surly she wasn't alone in her mental state? These tiny creatures tell the Cybertronians what to do, where to go, when to rest. To her it all seemed to be a bit backwards. But, from what she perceived about the Autobots they never create conflict when it's not necessary.

"It must be stressful living in these conditions,"

She observed the small fleshy beings spaced out across the base. Special Forces and Veteran Intelligence Officers returned her gaze.

"I mean, where's the privacy?" She looked at her mentor with concern - her sanity at stake. So many tiny optics watching in all directions.

He proceeded down the hall before answering her concerns. When they entered another section of the base he turned to meet her pressing optics.

"You will get used to it," She shuttered at the thought of one getting use to this.

"It's certainly not Cybertron, but it's what we are given." Her audio receptors pick up on the slightest change in his vocal processors.

Solemn.

He seemed disheartened.

No, she suspects one does not simply get use to this.

She followed her adviser into the recovery bay. More small observation decks hang out from the walls for the humans to get involved when they needed to. She analysed the different kinds of mechanical devices and tools laid out on a desk. To her or anyone else for that matter it would be nothing but junk - scrap metal and broken electronics.

"Sorry for the mess," he quickly tried to clean up the muddled devices.

"I'll make sure it's ready for you tomorrow morning, I didn't have much time to prepare and I certainly wasn't expecting to share this space, but we can always use another medic." He looked over at the femme who wasn't paying attention.

Great.

This was going to be fun.

The CMO cleared his throat, slightly annoyed.

"I'm sorry." She shook her head to clear the barrage of thoughts.

"It's just, you seemed a bit…unhappy before."

Ratchet raised an optic ridge, mildly surprised at her observation. For a femme who hardly seemed to listen she sure was perceptive. He subtly scanned the med bay for any unwanted listeners before responding.

"Forgive my discretion, I know are circumstances are far from ideal, but many of us have simply redefined liberty."

"Is that all we can do?"

The medic turned to examine the fembots twisted expression. Worry, alienation, loneliness. Yes she was quite the mess. Ratchet tried to think of a way to help her, to comfort her. But, he found himself at a loss of words – a rarity for the verbose medic. Instead he simply placed his hand on her shoulder plate.

Strong.

Sincere.

The fembot melted under the warm gesture, becoming a puddle of liquefied metal. She wondered how such a simple act of kindness could ground her. Perhaps all she needed was a little physical contact from another bot.

She looked up at her mentor and returned his compassionate smile.

His gentle spark seemed to be a contradictory to his rough and tough exterior. But, the femme didn't care about any of that. She may have been many things, but judgmental was not one of them. She saw the goodness in everyone, which often got her into trouble. But, there was something about this bot in particular that made her believe every word he said. He was a trust worth and loyal companion.

Tried and true.

"There's nothing to worry about, you'll be just fine."

…

"You always had all the answers."

A sigh.

The porcelain and violet femme finally left the broken Autobots side. She wandered over to the recharge berth in a small room attached to the ICU, the medical berth still visible. She laid down knowing it was probably all just a waste of time. She didn't have the experience to do the impossible. Even though the humans had given them everything they could to help. She wouldn't have left earth without every piece of him.

Ratchet.

That's what his name was.

"Ratchet." her voice was but a soft whisper in the darkness.

The name added so much wait to her chassis. A name she had spoken with such ease suddenly had the density of a dying star. A name that held so much meaning to her life and evoked so much emotion in her spark was suddenly wiped from the board. The femme closed her optics in a sad attempt to get some much needed recharge.

A sad attempt indeed.

The femme rolled over to look at her friend one last time before she closed her optics in silent meditation.


	2. Chapter 2

Reverie by Michiyo

Chapter 2: Magnoliophyta

The air was thick and stagnant, with the sun low on the horizon. It lingered there like a ball on the edge of a table, teetering on the precipice of the world. The crimson light shone off a giant siting still on the water. The large cargo ship shadowed the other vessels in the abandoned shipping yard. A light fog shrouded the tranquil water beneath it - a living cloak.

"Ratchet!"

Her sharp scream pierced the air like a hot knife on butter and echoed throughout the vacant cargo ship. The femme sat against her will on the floor of a shipping container, her servos in stasis cuffs. She studied his face in horror. Wishing with all her might that she could talk some sense into the mech. But, all she could do was watch helplessly as he turned to leave. Her spark quickened within her chassis as her desperation increased.

"You can't leave me here!" He stopped and turned to look at her face distorted with anxiety and fear.

Stoic.

He was always stoic.

"How can you be so selfish?" she hissed.

Selfish? The hateful word circled in his CPU over and over as he tried to make sense of her intentions. He had been called many things throughout his life that would grind his gears, but he had never been called selfish. In fact, nothing irritated the old medic more than to hear that heinous word being used against him.

A deep frown.

How could she call him selfish of all things? Everything he had done for everyone, for her, had been completely selfless – everything he had ever lived for. He has seen fellow soldiers – friends die before his optics countless times. While some had died for cause, others certainly did not. At times all he could do was watch powerlessly as their life drained from their optics and their sparks returned to Primus and the All Spark. He could however, have control over this outcome.

Selfish, Yes.

He understood now.

He would not suffer the loss of another, he would be selfish.

_"…Flower?"_

…

"Flower?" the voice intensified.

That's right. How could she have forgotten? That name seemed so cold to her now. A distant midnight star shinning down from the picturesque sky above. Its light, nothing but a mere glimpse into the distant past. And she dare not look upon it in this living nightmare.

She slowly awoke from a large, robust mech shaking her tired frame. He peered down at her as she lay on the berth – groggy and dis-tempered. As she sat up to greet him his upturned face twisted into a light smile. His green optics stared into hers, the relief was eminent.

How long has she been out?

The dim lighting made it impossible to tell the time on the stationary ship. The craft was perpetually cloaked in darkness, with only enough light to see what you were doing and where it was needed. Far different than the florescent lighting back on earth, which was what Flower was used to. For all she knew it could have been orns since her last recharge.

"Welcome back kid, I thought you'd gone south on me." The tired femme rubbed her optics disoriented and looked up at the heavy set Autobot before her.

"Sorry Hound, I don't remember the last time I recharged."

"No problem, I don't remember the last time I had an oil change, heck, I don't even remember the last time I inter -"

"- Hound, why are you here?"

"Right, the big bot wants a status report."

"Of course he does." She sighed.

"If you want, I could always tell him to shove it up his afterburners."

A week smile.

"Hey, haven't seen one of those in a while, I think you might have cracked a face plate." He poked.

She humored him, her mouth a gape.

"So, how are things going with the doc bot?"

Silence.

Hound watched as she tried to collect herself. The distraction was nice, but she had to come back to reality at some point.

"His spark may be fully functional, but as for his body, I'm running low on the supplies necessary to revive it,"

…and knowledge.

"Even so there's no guaranty he will have CPU activity, or that his spark will take. And I'm using precious resources to keep it functioning outside his body."

"That's a lot of maybes."

"Tell me about it." The femme rubbed her brow under pressure.

Flower begrudgingly stood up from her recharge berth and left the room. When she was in it she never wanted to get out of it, but if when she was out of it she never wanted to get in it. Sometimes the wayward femme wished her body would just make up its mind and Flower knew full well that she would have to change her attitude if she wanted to be productive.

Easier said than done.

She hated that saying. In fact, she wished it would be the other way around. Wouldn't that make life easier?

The small femme walked into the ICU with Hound close behind, trying not to look at the empty shell of an Autobot laying on the recharge berth only meters away. As she did so, a tiny flowering plant in a vessel of earth caught her attention as she passed by. A barrage of memories flooded her CPU, making her knee joints go weak. She grasped onto the medical berth for support and her optics locked onto her mentors - empty and still.

Her body stasis locked.

She found herself unable to look away.

"Hey, everything alright?" Hound, in concern placed his servo on her shoulder plate.

…

The setting sun glared off the two silhouettes on the horizon – one inpatient and bad tempered, the other lively and contemplative.

"You can't pronounce my name."

Flower turned to see the frown forming on Ratchets face. She knew it would irritate the intellectual bot to no end. After all, how dare she insult the medic/engineers intelligence? She turned away to conceal her wolfish grin. She had begun to enjoy annoying the older bot to no end, much like many who have come to know the medic over the solar cycles.

"No, I think I'll pick something else."

A groan.

"Then what?" his voice was sharp.

'"Hmm, I don't know. What's this?" she knelt down next to a few tiny, vibrant, and delicate life forms sprouting from the earth.

The medic knelt down next to the femme and scanned the tiny organisms.

"Magnoliophyta, also known as angiospermae. One of Earths most diverse group of seed producing land plants. Humans use them as decoration on celebratory days and are known to present them as gifts to court a potential mate."

She gawked at the medics long winded explanation.

"For some reason magnoliophyta doesn't appeal to me."

"They are more commonly called flowers. If you want to learn more about them you could always tap into the earth's world wide web."

"Flowers, huh." She considered.

"I like it."

"You really want to be referred to as…flower?"

"Why not? They're pretty, like me," She winked.

The mech rolled his optics.

"It's better than bumblebee." She criticized.

"Bumblebee's a fine name. It symbolizes drive and perseverance, far better than 'It's pretty'"

"Let me guess, you helped him pick it?"

A glare.

"Bumblebee's a great name." His voice was cold.

"And what does Ratchet symbolize? That you swing both ways."

"…Why do I bother with you?"

Flower snickered.

"Well, I think flower's a great name. They symbolize love, passion, and desire." She put flirtatious emphasis on desire.

"I see you've done your research..." The mech put his servo to his brow in discomfort.

"Come, we should be going. I'd rather not have to explain our absence to HQ."

"I would, I can tell them you lured me off to have your way with Me." she teased.

"I can assure you that none of them would believe you for a nano click."

"I can assure you that I can be very convincing."

"You wouldn't?"

"I guess you'll have to find out."

"Must you torment me?"

"You know I must."


End file.
